During the past six years the Dominican Republic has become one of the most popular tourist destinations among US citizens with an amazing growth leap in numbers of tourists from 659,129 to 1,099,906 over this period.

"[These datas] ...places the DR as the third largest host for tourism from the United States among the other 33 Caribbean islands, with only Bahamas and Jamaica receiving more US visitors..."

This data implies an extraordinary growth rate of 66.8% growth between 2002 and 2007 and places the DR as the third largest host for tourism from the United States among the other 33 Caribbean islands, with only Bahamas and Jamaica receiving more US visitors, according to Felix Jimenez, Dominican Tourism Minister who was quoting from the Organization of Caribbean Tourism (OCT).

He emphasized that in 2002 the number of US visitors to the DR was 659,129, equivalent to only 50% of those who visited the Bahamas (1,310,140), this proportion rose by nearly 95% this past year alone when both countries attracted nearly the same number of tourists 1,099,906 and 1,165,164, respectively.

As part of the tour operators meeting that took place last Thursday in the United States, the Minister of Tourism added that US visitors arriving to the DR by airplane increased by 5.47% , (598,353 to 631,100) from January to June this year as compared to the same period in the first half of 2007.

Heading toward 2008 Figures

OCT reports on arrivals to the Caribbean of US-resident tourists place the Dominican Republic very close to the Bahamas and Jamaica with 1,099,906 in 2007 as the Bahamas and Jamaica received 1,165,164 and 1,132,532 US citizens, in that order.

Nevertheless, the most recently available statistics from the OCT website (http://www.onecaribbean.org) indicate that the DR is advancing to third place with 407,442 US arrivals, by air, in the period of January to April 2008, overtaking Jamaica for second place. Jamaica received 404,233 Americans for that period.

The OCT reported that the Bahamas had received 318,030 US tourists in the January to March 2008 trimester.